Senate votes to protect small school incentives

Effort to fix mistakes in last year's law rejected

Effort to fix mistakes in last year's law rejected

February 20, 2008|By Bob Mercer, American News Correspondent

PIERRE Ð A Senate coalition of every Democrat and some conservative Republicans blocked an attempt by the Rounds administration to reduce consolidation aid to merging school districts Tuesday. On a 22-13 vote, the Senate killed HB 1051, which was an attempt to repair a faulty law passed just a year ago that was intended to force the closure of some South Dakota school districts with enrollments smaller than 100. The defeat marked the second time this session that the Senate rejected attempts by the Department of Education intended to fix mistakes in last year's law. “There was a big oversight,” Sen. Ed Olson, R-Mitchell, said. The problem targeted by HB 1051 is the possibility that districts will receive consolidation bonuses but no students. Olson offered the example of Carthage, which is dissolving. Under existing law, he said, Sanborn Central would get more than $200,000 in consolidation incentives by taking Carthage territory without receiving any Carthage students. Olson asked that the legislation apply only to future consolidations because there are several merger elections set for the near future and another was recently approved. “It absolutely must pass,” he said. Sen. Jim Peterson, D-Revillo, acknowledged there could someday be a district that divides four different ways and the plan would cost considerably more than was intended. But Peterson asked that the current bill be defeated because it would change the promised benefits under which school districts are making plans. Sen. Alan Hoerth, D-Aberdeen, said “softening” the benefits isn't going to make mergers any easier. “I think we have a responsibility to live up to what we initiated ourselves,” he said. Hoerth described the proposed change as “out of line.” All 15 Democrats and seven of the 20 Republicans voted against the administration's legislation despite attempts by leadership to keep it alive. Legislative Briefs